Page 39 of Shadow Kissed
His eyes flash open and for a second I’m dazzled by the silver-grey colour of them.
“Why are you in my bed? Uninvited?” I demand, attempting to shake off his shadows and get them to back off.
His eyes meet mine, and he clears his throat. “I planned to take you back before you woke.”
I frown. Take me back. What does he mean? That’s when I look around and realise I’m not in my new room anymore. I fight against his shadows that refuse to let me go. “You stole me from my bed? Who do you think you are, Commander? I am not your plaything!”
Raegal mutters under his breath and his shadows slowly unwind from around my body. As soon as I’m free, I jump out of his bed. He does the same and I don’t miss the fact that he is wearing nothing but his underwear. Mother, help me. He looked glorious, every inch a fine specimen of muscle, but that doesn’t detract from the fact I’m hopping mad at him.
“Care to explain?” I ask him, placing my hands on my hips and scowling at him
He sighs and runs a hand through his dark hair, which serves to distract me yet again. “The mutts have followed you here.”
I blanch and wrap my arms around myself. “What do you mean, they followed me here? Maybe they followed you here, not me.” I pale when I see movement from the corner of my eye and notice a rather large black wolf lounging on a blanket by the door. “Gods, is that a wolf?”
He shakes his head at me and strides over to a set of drawers. He pulls out a top and flings it at me and I catch it before it hits me in the face. “It’s my wolf, Nyx,” he says dismissively. “Can you change out of his clothes?!”
I bristle at his reference to Arkynn’s T-shirt. How does he know it belongs to him?
As if he can read my thoughts, he replies. “I can smell him on you.” His nostrils flare in disgust.
I fling the T-shirt back at him. “I will not wear your clothes, and I don’t smell of him,” I protest. “I’ve worn this T-shirt to bed for a long time. The only scent it carries now is my own.”
He snickers and with his hands cupping the back of his neck, he paces on his side of the bed. “Trust me, you stink of him. How can I mask your scent when you stink of another male?”
“Wait a minute!” I yell, wagging a finger at him. “I didn’t ask you to bring me here or mask my scent.”
I yelp when his shadows leap from him across the bed towards me and tear the shirt from my body. I screech in shock and grab for the bedcovers.
“How dare you!” I hiss. He’s stripped me naked. Without warning, he swiftly crosses the room and pins me against the wall. His shadows grip at the back of my neck and tilt my face up to his. I hold my breath when I see his eyes are pure black, the pale grey eyes nowhere to be seen.
“Raegal,” I say cautiously.
His head tilts to one side at hearing me say his name, but he doesn’t respond.
“You’re scaring me,” I tell him, my voice barely a whisper. His shadows tangle in my hair and hold me firmly in place. Carefully, I reach out my hands and place them on his chest, and I watch in fascination as his tattoos move on his skin in response to my touch. He closes his eyes and groans in a way that makes me unsure whether the reaction is from discomfort or pleasure.
“Raegal. Please let me go.” My hand snakes over one of his tattoos and his black eyes widen as he continues to watch me and hold me prisoner. “Raegal, if you’re in there, can you get them to release me?” I beg him, hoping my words will reach him.
The next thing I know, his shadows surround us, and I can’t see anything beyond the two of us. His eyes are still black as night. I yelp when I’m dumped unceremoniously on the bed, then he’s gone. His shadows evaporate as quickly as they came. I sit up and realise I am back in my room at the mansion. Placing a hand on my chest, I try to slow down my erratic breathing. What on Asen just happened?
A knock on my door pulls me from my shock.
“Morning, miss. Can I come in?” It’s Orna.
I look down, remembering I’m naked, and I dive under the covers, pulling them up to my neck and shout for her to enter.
“Good morn, miss,” she greets me cheerily, almost skipping into the room. How does she have so much energy this early? She strides over to the curtains and pulls them back; I wince at the bright light that invades the dark room, holding my hand over my eyes to protect them from the glare. Upon adjusting my eyes, I do a double take at the view. I climb to my feet, clutching the bed sheet to my naked body and moving across the room. The floor-length curtains have been hiding a set of balcony doors that offer amazing views across the valley. The black mountains shimmer and shine against the sun’s rays, causing prisms of colours to bounce across the valley. It is breathtaking.
“Isn’t it a lovely morning,” she sings, as she watches me take in the view.
“Is it?” I grumble. Raegal had kidnapped me from my bed and forced me to sleep in his. Worst still, his shadows had stripped me naked and pinned me against the wall!
She arches a brow in response to my grumpy demeanour. “Did you not sleep well last night?”
I scoff. “I slept like a log. That’s the worrying thing,” I reply, frowning at the realisation that I slept so deeply the last two nights—wrapped up in his shadows. I hate everything he stands for, so how can I feel safe in his arms?
“Let’s get you up and dressed, shall we?” Orna says cheerily, ignoring my comment. Reluctantly, I tear myself away from the view and follow her into the dressing room. She runs her fingers along a rail of dresses as she scans them, looking deep in thought.